Original Musical Score - Or Not So Original

     I don't know about you, but I find that I do my best writerly thinking with music playing. Can't think of an idea? I flip open my lap top or plug in my mp3 player (yes, I still haven't upgraded to an iPod yet) and start going through my favorite inspirational pieces. Music has always been an art that moves us emotionally, that stirs us up somehow (though we hardly know how) and inspires us. When it comes to writing, it's no different. Writers need a good musical score to write to, and that's a fact.


     The wonderful thing about writers, though, is that unlike a lot of other people we don't tire of music very quickly. For instance, I usually buy one or two songs at a time and then proceed to listen to them over and over and over again. I will literally put a song on repeat so that I can spend the next ten to fifteen to twenty minutes (sometimes even up to an hour) listening to the same piece with no variation. If my husband had to do that, he'd most likely go insane by the fifth time it had played.


     Another oddity that many writers enjoy is listening strictly to movie soundtracks. Neither my mother nor my husband get that. But to the writer, a soundtrack is like the background music of our own creations. In fact, many friends of mine who are writers do the same thing I do - create playlists from many different soundtracks with songs selected and arranged to mirror their own stories; like making a soundtrack for your book. (Note: this is not illegal provided it is solely for you to listen to and you don't try to pass it off as your own. Just putting that out there.)


     Now, maybe I'm a little different than other writers, but something tells me I'm not. You know that one song that just fits that particular character or even a particular scene so perfectly? Maybe it's a hard rock piece or a Celtic ballad. Maybe it's a soundtrack selection or a piece from a hit musical. Maybe it's even classical, from Mozart or Vivaldi or Beethoven (I created a playlist specifically for when I'm writing historical fiction that is made up entirely of classical pieces and soundtracks that sound classical). There's just something about certain pieces of music that are so fitting to our worlds, our stories and our characters. And nothing else can quite compare to the thrill of music when it comes to writing.


     Why is that? Why is it that, whether with words or without words, and regardless of genre, music is so essential to the work of a writer? Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables, put it this way (and I totally agree with him): "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." What else can we say about it? Music describes the soul of the writer in a way that no amount of writing can. Our musical selections help us see our worlds as we create them, define our characters and their personal challenges, set scenes and describe action sequences in ways that make it possible for us to see them clear enough to write them.


     This post is basically just an excuse to get to talk about what inspires me most as a writer (which is really what this whole blog is about:). But I hope it gives you something to think about, too. My favorite of the week (and new obsession) is by Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale - "Shatter Me". Reason for the obsession - it is a hauntingly beautiful melody filled with both the delicate art of strings and the heart-pounding thrill of dubstep beat. Besides this, the words are chilling, the concept brilliant, and the balance of all elements impeccable. (Seriously - I think I wrote this whole post just to get to share this song:) So get out there, find your musical inspiration, and start writing!


     What songs inspire you? Leave a note in the comments! And remember - "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." (Aldous Huxley)


     Sincerely,
          Yours Truly